Spinning machine control apparatus



Oct. 19, 1943. 'H. D. HALEY SPINNING MACHINE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed Dec. 11, 1941 v/ A viw 1D A .iww H /z w-a/fa Patented Oct. 19, 1943 UNITED STATE SPINNING MACHINE CONTROL APPARATUS Hugh D. Haley, Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to American Viscose Corporation, Wilmington, Del., 21 corporation of Delaware Application December 11, 1941, Serial No. 422,497

' 13 Claims. (01.18-8) This invention relates to apparatus for handling certain liquids employed in manufacturing artificial filaments, especially from viscose, and

it more particularly concerns 'an arrangement of apparatus adapted to. facilitate the recovery 7 in an economical mannerof the liquids or of the constituents therein thrown oil by the artificial silk while centrifuged, and especially while being,

collected in centrifugal spinning buckets im-= mediately after spinning. It is well known that the filaments carry some of the spinning bath solution into the spinning buckets and that crystals of salt; largely of sodium sulfate, form upon the outside surface of the spinning buckets as a result of the rapid evaporation of solvent from the solution which is forced .throughthe perforations in the bucket to the exterior surface thereof by centrifugal force. The high velocity of the spinning bucket relative to the air in the bucket chamber causes this rapid evaporation and the building up of crystals upon the bucket increases the load upon the motor driving the spinning bucket. It has heretofore been suggested to spray a crystal-dissolving liquid, such as steam, water, or dilute sulfuric acid, into the bucket chamber or more particularly against the outside surface of thespinning bucket in order to remove the crystals formed thereon and thus to reduce the load upon the electric motor driving the bucket.

-In accordance withthis invention, a crystalf dissolving liquid, such. as water, is' sprayed against the exterior surface of the bucket for short periods at frequent intervals, and means are provided whereby the drainings, which are in. the form of liquid solutions-or suspensions,

.from the chambers surrounding the .buckets are 'discharge of the spinning bucket drainage so that the drainings obtained while the sprays are operating are kept separate from those obtained while the sprays are not in operation. Further objects of the invention will be apparent from the drawing'and the description hereinafter.

In the drawing, illustrative o'f'the invention,

Figure 1 shows a plan view,- with parts rebuckets,

chine. employing centrifugal end ,view with parts Figure 2 is an elevationai moved, or the drainage end of a spinning main. crosssection of. the apparatus of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 shows a modification of the discharge separating device.

In the arrangement of Figures 1- and 2, .the drainage end of a spinning machine comprising two rows of centrifugal buckets 2 within which the freshly spun filaments are'collected, is shown. No attempt has been made to show the arrangement of ,spinning baths, spinnerets, or godets leading from thespinnerets to the centrifugal buckets since such features are well known.- in the art and are no part of this invention. Each spinning bucket chamber 3 is provided with an opening 4 in its cover 5 within which operates the funnel 6 for guiding the'artiflcial filaments into the centrifgual bucket 2 which is driven by the spindle 1. extending through a suitable collar 8 fitting within the bottom sloping surface of the bucket chamber 3. The collar 8 may be of any suitable design and is adapted to prevent liquids thrown outwardly from the spinning bucket from gaining access to the spindle 1 and the electric motor therebelow' (not shown) Each bucket-chamber 3 is providedfor drainage such asby means of thedrainage opening 9 connecting it to the central drainage channel l0 extending betweenthe two rows of bucket chambers. This drainage trough may be coextensive and integral with the bottoms of the bucket chambers or it may be a separate element joined to the bottoms of the bucket chambers by means of suitable liquid-tight joints. "The. drainage channel lllis provided at one end -withthe drainage outlet l I which is connected with the pipe l2.

Each bucket chaniber dis provided witha spray nozzle l3 attached to a short branch' pipe extending from alheader l5 extending along the" length ofthe machine. The nozzle 13 directs a spray vertically along the surface of the rotating bucket. lilach header, or each pair of head- 'ers' associated with a given machine as shown in Figures 1 and2, is connected by a pipe line l6 7 to a supply of crystal-dissolving liquid, such as water. The supply line l6 connecting thespray' headers IE to the sourcexof crystal dissolving liquid (which is water in the preferred case in accordance with this'invention.) is'pro'vided with -a solenoid-, motor-, or'thrustor-operated valve l1 whose action is controlled by the relay l8 which in turn is controlledbymeans of-the time 4 switch l9. A second relay .20 is-associ ated with the time switch IQ for operating the solenoid 2| thereby drawing the solenoid-core 22 upward and tilting the trough 23 to theposition shown by any of those available on the market which reg- I material.

ularly close a circuit at repeated intervals for deflnitetimes, or which close a plurality of circults at set interval with a predetermined delay between the closing of one circuit and that of the next. For example, in the first and simplest I case, the time switch may be provided with a synchronous motor driving a disk whoseouter periphery is composed entirely of insulating materlal except for a short segment of conducting A, pair. of brush contacts may constantly bear against the periphery of the disk and serve to close a relay circuit. when the conducting segment passesbene'ath them, The space between the brushes and/or the length of the segment'of conducting material may be adjusted with relation to the speed of rotation of the disk in order-to give the desired interval of contact. Thus, in its simplest formhthe operation of the time switch causes an intermittent operation of the relays l8 and.20 simultaneously which connect the solenoid, .thrustor or motor of the valve l1 and the solenoid 2| respectivelyto the power source 32, thereby operating the valve l1 and -f trough 23 simultaneously. As'soon as the segment passes out of contact with one of the two contact brushes, the relays are de-energiz'ed and the valve I1 and trough 23 return to normal'po- I sition until a repetition of the cycle occurs. In

operation, beginningwith the normal portion of a .cycle when the sprays are not operating, valve II is 'closed, and th trough 23 is in the dottedline position (in Figure 2) draining, into theleft chamber .21 the highly concentrated solution coming from the spinning machine. The drainings thenlflow through discharg pipe 29 to any desired storage or recovery system. Upon operation or the time'switch IS, the relays l8 and 2!! simultaneously cause the opening of valve l1 and the retraction oi-the core 22 into the solenoid 2|,

3 thus tipping the trough 2: into' the solid-line position otj'flgure 2 and draining the diluted solution from the spinning machine into the right :28 which may be connected by means of pipe Ilito a separate recovery system or, ii" desired, to a wastedischarge or sewer outlet. Upon breaking oi thecircuit by the 'timeswitch l9,

.therelays l8 and 20 are de.-energized and the valve l'l closes while the. trough 23 returns, by'

virtue of gravity; to the dotted-line position of Figure 2. The time switch I! may be adjusted and set togive any desired period of spraying at any desired frequency.- For example, a spray may operate for ten to thirty seconds every hour or it may operate for a halt a minute to a minute every two or three hours. Preferably, however, operation for a shorter period of time at shorter intervals is employed as this reduces the amount of spray liquid needed to remove the crystals and. as a result, less of the drainage fluid need be diverted to a separate recovery system or to the waste system.

As statedgenerally above, the time switch i9 may be designed to delay operation of the relay 20 so that tipping of the trough 23 will not occur until the volume of the solution pouring from pipe l2 into. the trough is substantially increased by the gathering of the spray-swollen drainings from the more remote bucket chambers in themachine. Since the sprays all operate simultaneously, the volume of liquors dis-' charging from pipe 12 will increase gradually from the moment of opening the sprays until a maximum is reached, which obtains when the spray-diluted. liquids from the remotest bucket chambers reach the discharge opening of pipe I2. The delay in tipping f the trough 23 may be predetermined to coin ide with any desired percentage increase in volume of the liquids pouring into it, but preferably the delay is ad justed to terminate considerably before the maximum discharge rate-is attained. Likewise, the return to the dotted-line position may be delayed until substantially the greater part of the spray-liquid-diluted solution, which continues to drain from the system even after the sprays have been turned 'oil, has been diverted to the right chamber 28 of the separator box. This modification of the time switch may be readily provided for by supplying it with two disks of type described above, one disk controlling the relay -to the valve in the spray line and the other, rotating simultaneouslyat the same speed as the. former, controlling the relay for operating the solenoid associated with the trough.

The conductive segment of the second disk may,

for example, be somewhatoffset so that it lags proper time.' In this arrangement, the'trough 35 is mounted on its pivots in 'such a manner that it. normally tilts to the left (as shown) when there is no discharge and the opening of the discharge pipe is positioned to the left of the pivot so that the small volume of normal flow of liquid will largely land in the trough to theleit of the pivot. However, an increase of the flow-from the pipe "I2 as a result of the operation of thesprayscauses the discharge stream to strike the trough 35 sufliciently to the right of the pivot and with sufficient impact to overbalance the weight of liquid still flowing down the left side 01 the'pivot and the normal gravitational tendency of the trough and thereby to cause the trough to tilt and divert the solution into the right chamber 31 oi the separator box. Upon reduction 01' the flow of the discharge pipe 12, the stream strikes the trough to the left of the pivot which when added to the returning moment of the center of gravity of the trough is suflicient'to overcome the weight of liquid flowing over ,the right half of the trough to tilt the trough back to the position shown in Figure 3. 1

In accordance with the invention, the apparatus provides for automatic control of the drainage from the spinning bucket chambers to separate storage, recovery or discharge systems.

While the invention provides an effective means for making considerable savings .when operating the sprays with water as the fluid for dissolving the crystals, recovering the constituents from the drainings which are undiluted with the water,

and discarding the portion of the drainings which are dilutedby the spray water, the arrangement of-the apparatusalso provides av spray-diluted portion of the discharge liquors to a separate recovery system While apreferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, the description is intended to .be illustrative only, and it isto be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as'defined by the What'I claim is:

appended claims.

1. An apparatus for" processing filamentary material comprising a centrifugal'bucket, means for draining liquidsolutions or suspensionsfrom the immediate surroundingsof thebucket' into a drainage channel, means for intermittently spraying said bucket during operation, and

tervals to one discharg 'system and during nonsystem.

means for automatically directing the efliuent from the drainage channel during spraying ,in--

spraying intervals to a difierent discharge 2. An apparatus for processing filamentary material comprising a centrifugal bucket, means for draining liquid solutions or suspensions from the immediate surroundings of the bucket into a drainage channel,. means for intermittently the precipitating bath, walled'casings forming cally directing the eifluent durings'praying intervals to one discharge system andv during nonspraying intervals'to a different discharge system.

6. An apparatus for producing artificial fila-P ments comprising centrifugal buckets for collecting the freshly spun filaments while still wet with the precipitating bath, walled casings forming chambers about said buckets for collecting liquid solutions or suspensions thrown from said buckets and means for draining'said liquid; from the chambers, means for intermittently spraying said buckets with water, and means for automatically directing the drainings dur' g spraying intervals to one discharge system an during non-spraying intervals to a difierent discharge system.

'7. An apparatus for producing artificial filaments comprising centrifugal buckets for collecting the'freshly spun filaments while still wet with chambers about said buckets for collecting liquids thrown from said buckets and means for draining said liquids from the chambers, means for intermittently spraying said buckets with water,

I means for automatically directing the drainings spraying said bucket during operation, means for automatically directing the 'efliuent from the" drainage channel during spraying intervals to one discharge system and during non-spraying 'intervals to a different discharge system, and

' means for controlling said automatic means to cause its; operation to begin simultaneously with that of said spraying means.

3; An apparatus for processing. filamentary material comprising a centrifugal bucket, means for draining liquid solutions or suspensions from the immediate surroundings of the bucket into a drainage channel, means for intermittently spraying said bucket during operation, ,means for automatically directing the efiluent from the draining channel during spraying intervals to one dischargesystemand during non-spraying intervals to a difierent discharge system, and means for controlling said automatic means to cause its operation to begin at such a time after that of said spraying means that the volume of drainage liquid at the point of diversion is substantially increased by said spray but has not reached a maximum;

4.'An apparatus for processing filamentary material comprising a centrifugal bucket, means directing the eflluent from the drainage channel 7 during spraying intervals to one discharge system and during non-spraying intervals to a dlfierent discharge system.

5. An apparatus for processing filamentary material comprising a centrifugal bucket, means for draining liquid solutions or suspensions from the immediate surroundings of the bucket, into a drainage channel, means for intermittently I. vispraying said bucket durin operation, and

means dependent on the change in volume of the effluent irom the drainage channel for automatb during spraying intervals to one'discharge system and during non-spraying intervals to a difierent discharge system, and means for controlling said automatic means to cause its operation to begin simultaneously with that of said spraying means.

8. An apparatus for producing artificial filaments' comprising centrifugal buckets for collectingthe freshly spun filaments while still wet'with the precipitating bath, walled casings forming chambers about said buckets for collecting liquid solutions or suspensions thrown from the buckets and means for draining said liquids from the chambers, means for intermittently spraying said buckets withwater, meansfor automatically directing the drainings during spraying intervals to one discharge system and. during non-spraying intervals to a different discharge system, and ,means for controlling said automatic means to cause its operation to beginat such a. time after that of said spraying means that the volume of drainings at the point of diversion is substantially increased by said spray but has not reached the ments comprising centrifugal buckets for collect-' mg the freshly spun filaments while still wet with the precipitating hath, walled casings forming ments comprising centrifugal buckets for collectchambers about said buckets for collecting liquid solutions or suspensions and means for draining said liquids from 'the chambers, electrically operated means for intermittently spraying said' buckets with water, and means for automatically directing-the drainings during spraying intervals to one discharge system and during non-spraying intervals to a different discharge system.

10. An apparatus for producing artificial filaing the freshly spun filaments while still wet'with the precipitating bath, walled casings forming chambers about said'buckets for collecting liquid solutions or suspensions and means for draining said liquids from the chgmbers, means for intermittently spraying said buckets with water,

means for automatically directing the drainings during spraying intervals to one. discharge system '6- and during non-spraying intervals to a different discharge system, and means'dependent on the change in volume or the drainlngs'tor automatically'diverting the'drainings during spraying to a separate discharge system 11. An-apparatutior roducing artificial filaments comprising centrifugal buckets for collecting the freshly spun filaments while still wet with the precipitating bath, walled casings forming chambers about said buckets for collecting liquid solutions or suspensions and means for draining said liquids from the chambers, means for spraying said buckets with water, a double-chambered box for receiving the drainage from said draining means, a tiltable trough for deflecting the drainings alternately into the two chambers of the box, means for tilting said trough, and means for simultaneously and intermittently operating said tilting means and said spraying means.

12. An apparatus for producing artificial filaments comprising centrifugal buckets for collecting the freshly spun filaments while still wet with the precipitating bath, walled casings forming chambers about said buckets for collecting liquid solutions or suspensions and means for draining said liquids from the chambers, means for spraying said buckets with water, a double-chambered box for receiving the drainings from said draim' ing means, a tiltable trough normally deflecting the drainings into one of said box chambers,-

means for tilting said trough to deflect the drainings into the other box chamber; and means for simultaneously and intermittently operating said spraying means and said tilting means.

;.chambers about said buckets for collecting liquid solutions or suspensions and means for draining said liquids from the chambers into a discharge channel, means for intermittently spraying said buckets with water, a double-chambered box for receiving the drainings from saiddraining means, a tiltable trough pivoted on an axis below, transverse of, and in advance of the discharge opening of said channel and so balanced upon its pivots as to normally deflect the drainings into one of said box chambers when the sprays arenot operating but to be tilted by an increase in the volume of drainings upon operation of the sprays to deflect the drainings into the other box chamber.

H. D. HALEY. 

